Common Adverb Mistakes in English: Part 2

In this post, we will go over some additional mistakes that can happen when using adverbs. (The first part can be found here.)

Common Mistake #3: Placing an Adverb Between a Verb and Its Object

(If needed, please review: What is an adjective?  |  What is an adverb? | What is an object?)

An object is a person or thing that is affected by an action OR a person or thing that the action is done to/for.

Examples:

“Little Joe broke the window.”
What was affected by the action? The window.
So “the window” is the object.

“Dan gave his wife flowers.”
To whom did Dan give the flowers? To his wife.
So “his wife” is the object.

👉 The rule is: an adverb should not come between the verb and its object.

Examples: 

CORRECT: I quickly opened the door.
CORRECT: I opened the door quickly.
INCORRECT: I opened quickly the door. 

CORRECT: He happily helped her.
CORRECT: he helped her happily.
INCORRECT: He helped happily her.

CORRECT: She sometimes cooks rice.
CORRECT: Sometimes she cooks rice.
INCORRECT: She cooks sometimes rice.

Common Mistake #2: The Adverb “Too”

The adverb “too” has two meanings.

1. too = also
    
2. too = excessively (more than enough, or more than needed)
    

When “too” means “also” (in addition), we usually place it at the end of the sentence.

Examples:

• We are going to the beach. Do you want to go too?
• Tim likes Jill, and Jill likes Tim too.
• She is tired, but she is happy too.

When “too” means “excessively”, we usually place it before the excessive quality (the thing which is more than required).

Examples:

• The ice cream is too sweet.
• Isn’t he too big for that shirt?
• The coffee is too hot.

👉 If we put “too” in the wrong position, it will completely change the meaning!

Let’s take a look at the following example:

The meaning is completely different, right? 😄

Learn more about adverbs: